Bengaluru, India – In a shocking incident, S.J. Raya, chairman of the real estate group, Confident Group, ended his life in his office during an Income Tax raid. He was 57 years old. According to the local media, Bengaluru Police Commissioner stated that the incident occurred at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, during the raid when Raya was present in his office and shot himself.
Bengaluru Police stated that the Income Tax Department had been raiding Raya and his associated companies for the past three days, following which it was revealed that they had unaccounted assets. This is the second high-profile suicide in India in recent days, following the death of a 42-year-old man in Kerala, who also took his own life during an Income Tax raid.
An investigation is underway to determine whether Raya’s death was a result of suicide or if he was coerced into taking his life. The Income Tax raid team is from Kerala, and the police will be questioning them further. Raya’s brother told the media that the Income Tax officials had first visited their office in December and then again on January 28, when they called Raya from Dubai to investigate.
Raya was a native of Kochi, Kerala, and was a fan of luxury cars and had also been associated with the Malayalam film industry. He had produced several films. In other news, a close associate of the prime accused in the murder case of Bangladesh’s young politician, Sharif Osman Hadi, has confessed to the crime. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned that an American attack on Iran will escalate tensions in the region.
In the UK, a woman was stabbed to death in London. A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The Afghan Embassy in the US has announced that it will close its operations by June 2026. In a televised interview, the Afghan ambassador expressed concerns about the security situation in the region.
US President Donald Trump has stated that the US wants to continue negotiations with Iran and reach a deal. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked Andrew, a member of the royal family, to appear before the US Congress to testify. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that Iran is willing to negotiate a fair and balanced nuclear deal, which would guarantee the removal of nuclear sanctions.
